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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29091084">Forever Begins with 8 Seconds</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/subtlehues/pseuds/subtlehues'>subtlehues</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, married sunaosa</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 12:09:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,986</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29091084</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/subtlehues/pseuds/subtlehues</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p></p><blockquote>
  <p>Suna breathes out contentedly, and in a moment of rare candidness — though perhaps made less rare in light of the day’s events — he admits: “I could stay like this forever.”</p>
</blockquote><p>In which Suna can teleport, Osamu can freeze time, and <em>forever</em> becomes second nature when you take it eight seconds at a time.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Miya Osamu/Suna Rintarou</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>SunaOsa Valentine's Exchange</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Forever Begins with 8 Seconds</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>For my giftee, <a href="https://twitter.com/choiza04">Ocha</a>, as part of the SunaOsa Valentine's Exchange!</p><p>Thank you for your wonderful prompts, I hope you like the direction I took with them — specifically domestic AU, established relationship, and slight (past) enemies to lovers :) I hope you have a great Sunaosa Valentine's ♡</p><p> <br/>Content Warning: mention of law enforcement-adjacent professions, general systemic issues with hero society.</p><p>In this universe, people are born with their superpowers, which are referred to interchangeably as "quirk," "ability," and "power." With that said, the superhero elements are light in this fic. I think of the story as one about a couple who happen to have superpowers, and not one about superheroes. </p><p>I hope you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When he’s parked and turned off the gas, Suna moves to the passenger side of the car and opens the door before Osamu’s even finished unbuckling his seatbelt.</p><p>Osamu glances up at him in amusement, and accepts his proffered hand with theatrics. “And they say chivalry is dead,” he says lightly.</p><p>“I’m just making sure you don’t put unnecessary strain on yourself,” Suna replies, taking the bags of overnight supplies and changes of clothes from the trunk to further his point.</p><p>They make their way up to their apartment, and once inside Osamu closes his eyes. He breathes in slowly, before releasing the air in one breath. “I’ve missed this place.”</p><p>He must’ve. Though he’d only been in the hospital for two nights, he’d barely had any free time to rest properly in the weeks before then, working late nights and joining in on stakeouts, sometimes even opting to spend the night at the agency.</p><p>Suna’s missed having him here too.</p><p>“Shall I run you a bath? You can relax for a bit. Get that hospital scent off of you,” Suna asks, placing the bags down momentarily in the genkan.</p><p>“Hey, it’s not that bad,” Osamu protests, lifting up one arm to inspect it. He glances up with a glint in his eye. “But sure. Are you going to join me?”</p><p>Suna smiles, then shakes his head lightly. “Nah, I’ll put these away and make some food for you.”</p><p>Osamu fixes him with a flat stare. “You only know how to make ochazuke.”</p><p>Suna huffs, mock indignant, “Excuse you, did you forget the time I learned to make nikujaga before we got married so I could be considered a suitable spouse? Men. So ungrateful.”</p><p>Osamu barks out a laugh, his voice bright. Suna’s heart clenches in response. He didn’t realize how much he missed the sound.</p><p>“Alright. I’ll look forward to it, spouse.” Osamu accepts his rejection with grace, and insists on taking the dirty change of clothes into the bathroom himself. Though he does stop to take off his top before he’s left Suna’s line of sight, probably to spite him for his choice. Suna huffs, and turns to the kitchen before he can start to regret his decision, both in declining his offer and in promising to make a dish he hasn’t cooked in years.</p><p>Thankfully, Osamu has the recipe written down amongst his extensive but neatly organized stack of cookbooks. Some are purchases from over the years and some, like this one, he hand-wrote himself. On the top right corner of the page, he’s written “<em>The first dish Rin made for me ^_^</em>” in a different pen. Was it also the last? Suna doesn’t want to know the answer. He traces his finger over the print, then gets to work.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>An hour and a half and many compliments from Osamu later, Suna finds himself back in the kitchen after forcing Osamu to rest in the living room. Osamu had protested, but with the power of Shirabu-sensei’s stern orders and volleyball on his side, he managed to convince him to watch the latest V.League match he’d missed.</p><p>He soaks the dishes in warm water, and lets his mind whirl with the current. He can hear the low, indecipherable sounds coming from the television. What might, to others, sound like a discordant mix of the broadcasters’ comments, the squeak of shoes against the floor, and the echoes of spikes bouncing off of blocks, instead settles like a comforting weight over him.</p><p>It’s been a long time since they’ve been to a match in person — since they’ve watched one on TV, even — and even longer since they’ve been able to get together with Atsumu and Gin and the others to play as an amateur team. There’s always some mission, or training regimen, or press conference, or endorsement, or other charity event in the way, especially for Osamu, who holds a bigger public presence than he does. And while the work and philanthropy are fulfilling, it leaves little free time and energy for them to pursue other hobbies together, in the event that their schedules manage to line up.</p><p>They’ve had to learn to make the most of whatever free time they have together, though they’ve always been the kind of people to be content with simple, quiet times in each other’s company anyway. Osamu always says that he’s grateful his interest in cooking is one suitable for their work schedules, and they’re already luckier than most other hero couples they know in getting to work together often, given the compatibility of their abilities. Besides, this was something they’d been primed for when they chose this profession. Despite it all, Suna can’t help but think that he should’ve seen Osamu’s collapse coming, should’ve done more to prevent it.</p><p>Shirabu-sensei said that his condition wasn’t due to his minor injuries in the field, but instead from general fatigue built up over time, and from prolonged use of his quirk. The base time limit for Osamu’s quirk is eight seconds, but over the years Osamu’s trained himself rigorously to the point where he can stop time for everyone but himself and his intended subjects for up to minutes at a time. This mission, with the mental strain of extending his quirk on top of weeks of physical overexertion, seemed to be the last straw. Osamu’s always been so capable, so dependable, that it seems even Suna’s forgotten how he’s only human too.</p><p>He’s always shouldered his own responsibilities readily, taking on leadership roles as easily as if they were his second skin. Always eager to help out his colleagues and support his juniors, he’s often juggling significantly more tasks than were assigned to him, simply out of his own sense of duty. Just because they weren’t partnered for this mission doesn’t mean Suna should have overlooked the warning signs... and even here, at home, where they’re supposed to be partners for <em>life</em>, he’s let Osamu take on too much by himself for too long, while never offering even a simple nikujaga dish in return—</p><p>He’s taken out of his thoughts when he realizes the bowls in the sink are overflowing with water. He makes quick work of washing and drying the dishes, intent on blocking out any thoughts with his singular focus on the task at hand. When he finishes, he dries off his hands and heads into the living room.</p><p>There, he finds Osamu dozing off, still seated on the couch with the match playing quietly in the background. He shakes him awake gently, coaxes him to bed, and sits with him until he’s fallen asleep again. He pads out of the room quietly to find the match still playing.</p><p>He shuts off the TV in an attempt to shut out any lingering thoughts along with it, and busies himself with work in his study.</p><p>After he’s caught up on his emails, he opens the bedroom door a crack and finds Osamu still fast asleep. He fills Osamu’s mug with water and lays it on the bedside table, so he wouldn’t have to leave the comforts of their bed if he woke up feeling thirsty. Then he grabs his wallet and keys and heads out the door, hoping the afternoon sun and fresh air will help clear his mind.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>When he teleports back to their apartment, he enters to find Osamu awake and at work in the kitchen, wrapping nori strips around the finished spam musubi, the cup of water Suna left for him sitting on the counter by his side. While Suna isn’t normally one to deny himself the view of his husband’s board back as he moves deftly around the kitchen, today is not the norm.</p><p>“Hey. What are you doing up?”</p><p>Osamu turns, no longer surprised by Suna’s sudden appearances after years together. Even back when they were barely acquaintances, he was never one to be caught off guard by Suna’s quirk. Always a steady, dependable presence. Atsumu, on the other hand, was a different story, and Suna makes sure to utilize that fact every chance he gets.</p><p>“Well, when you get out of bed to find your husband gone, one has to check whether he fled the country after burning down the kitchen.”</p><p>Suna tilts his head, pretending to consider. “Hmm, can’t relate. My husband’s an excellent chef.”</p><p>Osamu cracks a smile at that, and Suna moves to cross the distance between them. He sets the bags of groceries he’d been holding down on the kitchen island. “I went to get some ingredients for dinner. I was thinking nabe?”</p><p>Osamu’s eyes light up at the mention of food, though Suna knows he wasn’t really annoyed in the first place. He drifts over to the counter to peer into the bags, and Suna hurries to reveal what he’s holding in his other hand.</p><p>“I also stopped by the mini-taiyaki stall near the agency. I know you get some on the way home every Thursday.”</p><p>Osamu looks up quickly in alarm. “Ah, it’s Thursday? I completely forgot.”</p><p>“Yamada-san was worried. She said she saw the news about your collapse on TV.” Osamu winces at that. “I told her you were fine, just resting. Though that didn’t stop her from giving me a whole extra batch. Here, they’re still hot. I came back right away.”</p><p>Osamu takes the large paper bag from his hands, though he still looked conflicted. “I wish it weren’t like this…” He says distractedly. “We’re supposed to bring the people peace and security, but they end up worrying for us even when we’re just doing our jobs.”</p><p>“Hey, that’s not your fault. It only happened because you were intent on saving so many more with your selflessness and diligence.” Suna said kindly, but firmly. “Samu. Look at me. This isn’t your fault.”</p><p>He takes Osamu’s face in both his hands, and when Osamu still doesn’t look up, he presses their foreheads together. They breathe in tandem, slowly, until he feels Osamu nod against his skin. Then he steps back and lets his hands fall from Osamu’s face. He offers his hand, eyes softened by his smile.</p><p>“Come on, I’ll make some tea. Let’s eat the taiyaki before they get cold. Yamada-san said she put some surprise chocolate ones in there.”</p><p>Osamu nods softly and smiles back, extending the hand that isn’t holding the bag into Suna’s, before his eyes suddenly widen again. “Ah! The omusubi!”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>After dinner, they lounge on opposite ends of the couch, as is their custom. They’ve found this to be the most mutually-satisfactory solution, as Suna likes curling himself up against the L-shaped corner while Osamu likes stretching his legs out along the length of the couch. Osamu had just gotten off the phone with Atsumu, and is now going through a new cookbook that’d arrived during his mission. Suna sits across from him, scrolling through his phone and pretending he’s capable of focusing on anything other than the dissonance in his head.</p><p>Osamu shuts his cookbook with a snap, and makes his way over to Suna’s side. “Whatcha doing?”</p><p>“Hmm? Nothing too interesting.” He shuts his phone as well, and settles further into his corner, his stance inviting. “How’s the cookbook?”</p><p>Osamu takes the hint and moves to lie down sideways, laying his head in Suna’s lap. “Good. There are some foreign dishes I want to try. How do you feel about duck confit?”</p><p>“Well, I can’t say I’ve thought too much about it, but I’m definitely down for whatever you want to try.”</p><p>Osamu flashes a grateful smile up at him, and Suna offers a small smile back. Osamu must see something in it, because he tilts his head up at an awkward angle to look directly into his eyes, his brow furrowed.</p><p>“Hey, what’s wrong?” </p><p>“Hmm? Nothing’s wrong.”</p><p>Osamu’s gaze shifts between Suna’s eyes for a moment, before he smiles and lays his head back down. “Okay, that’s good,” he says easily. <em>Tell me in your own time</em>.</p><p>Suna threads his hand into Osamu’s hair, stroking it absentmindedly.</p><p>Osamu’s always been able to see right through him, a product of the years they’ve spent together as partners both on the field and off. But even before that... he remembers distinctly the feeling of being truly <em>seen</em> for the first time in his life, the first time he met Osamu. Not just because he was technically the only one who <em>could</em>, but because of his innate ability to see the good in everyone.</p><p>The first time they met, they were very different people from who they are now. Or, Suna was, at least. Osamu was much the same, though perhaps a little less broad and a lot more fresh-eyed. The golden boy of hero society, a young hero quickly rising the ranks, one half of the Miya twins… whatever praise the media had for him, it was eaten up by everyone, both within professional circles and by the general public — save for Suna, who didn’t care <em>who had which shining quirk</em>, determined as he was to leave hero society behind. </p><p>He, a little less amiable and a lot more jaded, was himself little-known outside his immediate circles, taking private hires as a bodyguard for celebrities, politicians, public figures, and the like. His ability came in handy, and his hero license had given him a leg up, but that was about the extent to which it was used. Though private security was known to clash with security police and heroes on some higher-profile cases, Suna took care to not get involved in them. There shouldn’t have been any reason for their paths to cross, had Osamu not sought him out.</p><p>On the one occasion that their paths <em>did</em> cross — which Suna later learned was by Osamu’s design — Osamu cornered him halfway through his mission.</p><p>“Why are you working for private hire? You should be at a Top Five hero agency.”</p><p>Suna regarded him coolly. “The pay’s good. And the work is simple. No one really gets harmed as easily.” He eyed his surroundings discreetly. He considered teleporting right then and there, but was hesitant about showing his hand to a hero.</p><p>“Your ability is so unique. You’d be able to do so much with it as a hero. How come you never ended up taking an offer after passing the licensing exam? I heard that so many firms were fighting after you.”</p><p>Suna scoffed. “Just as I expected. Heroes, always at the top of the social ladder. Is my quirk too <em>good</em> for me to be <em>just</em> a bodyguard? This is exactly the sort of classist view that deterred me from going pro.”</p><p>Osamu had the good grace to look abashed, his face flushing. <em>It seems that the golden boy isn’t too good with his words</em>, Suna thought, mildly amused, before Osamu straightened with newfound determination in his eye.</p><p>“That’s why we need heroes like you. The old ideals are dying, as they should. We need people with revolutionary ideas, people who <em>care</em>. Not about the superficial glamour of hero society, but about what we can actually <em>do</em>.”</p><p>Suna’s eyes widened a fraction. He hadn’t expected this from the media’s darling, whose entire persona — complete with being marketed as one half of a pair, a natural-born hero partnership — seemed to feed into the blinding facade of hero society. He supposed he must’ve been trained so well that he could fake this too.</p><p>“That’s big talk, coming from you. As if we could dismantle years of elitism and systemic issues just from <em>revolutionary ideas </em>alone.” Suna turned toward the elevator, having decided on his escape route. He was expected at the meeting spot five minutes ago.</p><p>Osamu called after him, the speed and volume with which he spoke increasing with urgency. “There’s been a recent change in power — Kita-san, the youngest Commissioner yet. He’s going to bring about change, I’m sure of it. With heroes advocating for it, it’ll come even sooner.”</p><p>Suna shrugged, waving a hand over his shoulder to signal the end of the conversation. He stepped into the elevator, ready to teleport the moment the doors closed. He turned to face Osamu, and nodded his goodbye. He didn’t know how he managed to find him, but he’ll make sure he wouldn’t be able to catch him again. No one’s ever been able to; after all, that’s what made him such an effective and discreet bodyguard.</p><p>His misplaced certainty only added to his surprise when he suddenly found himself unable to move — unable to do anything but watch Osamu move ever closer in his line of vision. Rooted to the spot, both from his own shock and from what must be the effects of Osamu’s quirk, his eyes remained locked with his as he stepped into the elevator. Despite being the taller of the two, Suna felt the grandness of his presence as he crowded into the small space.</p><p>His voice had turned quiet, but the sincerity shone through. “Please. Consider it. Our abilities would be a great match, and your ideas are too important to remain unheard. I’ve thought this ever since I saw you at the licensing exam.”</p><p>He dipped his head. Then he pressed the button to the ground floor for Suna, and stepped backwards out of the elevator. His determined gaze remained fixed on Suna’s until the doors closed.</p><p>This time, Suna was the one who remembered him. He recalled this conversation every time he saw Osamu’s face in the papers for a charity event, every time he saw one of Kita Shinsuke’s speeches on television, every time he saw a new bill passed. He considered Osamu’s offer every time he read another one of his accomplished missions, every time he heard the gratitudes of a witness, every time he showed his face after one of Suna’s own assignments. </p><p>He remembered the determined look in Osamu’s eye all the way until he stepped into the agency as a new hero in his division, and saw it directed towards him in person once more. He remembered it until the memory got layered over with that of the wide smile which broke across Osamu’s face in that moment, and the bright, bright eyes that had seen past his cool exterior on that first meeting.</p><p>And every day since, Osamu’s been seeing the good in him, placing his life in his hands and entrusting him with his heart.</p><p>Suna glances down at Osamu, tracing his fingertips against the side of his face — his handsome, handsome face — and murmurs, “I love you.”</p><p>Osamu slowly flips over to support himself on one elbow, dislodging Suna’s hand, and glances up at him. His lips part into a smile, but he remains silent, sensing that he isn’t finished.</p><p>“I feel like I don’t say it enough,” Suna says, glancing away.</p><p>Osamu sits up next to him, and Suna chances a glance.</p><p>He looks serious. But when he meets Suna’s eyes, his smile returns, this time in a softer curve.</p><p>“But you tell me everyday,” he says.</p><p>“Through your actions,” he continues, turning so he’s face to face with Suna, and takes his left hand into his right. “In the way you send me memes that you know will make me laugh.” He brings his other hand up so he’s holding Suna’s in both of his, and traces a thumb across Suna’s palm. “The way you’ll drop by my office with onigiri when you think I haven’t taken a break,” he moves one hand up to brush aside Suna’s bangs, before sliding it down to rest against Suna’s cheek, “and buy taiyaki for me because you know I get it every Thursday.”</p><p>He lets go of Suna’s hand to hold onto both sides of his face, and continues: “The way you’ll find new restaurants for us to try because you think I’ll like them. The way you can bring me out of my head with just a few of your words.”</p><p>Suna feels the tightening lump in his throat, and gives a last-ditch effort to rebuke him. “That’s nothing. You do all of that for me too.”</p><p>Osamu tilts Suna’s chin up with his hands so he’s looking straight into his eyes. “That just means I love you too,” he says, smiling.</p><p>His hands leave Suna’s face to find his hand again. He toys with his fingers for a bit, then glances back up at him, his gaze soft but the resolve clear in his eyes.</p><p>“So I definitely know that you love me, okay? Because I love you the same.”</p><p>Suna nods, and Osamu settles back into the couch, his side pressed against Suna’s. Suna tilts his head so that it falls on Osamu’s shoulder, and links their fingers together once more.</p><p>Osamu speaks up again, his voice light: “Though if you want to tell me more often, I definitely have no complaints.”</p><p>Suna chuckles, and closes his eyes. After forcing away the sudden prickling sensation at his eyes, he stands and looks at Osamu anew, their hands stretching the distance between them.</p><p>“Come on, let’s go back to our room. Your back will kill you if we fall asleep out here. And then Shirabu will kill me.”</p><p>Osamu laughs, and uses Suna’s hand to pull himself up.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>After a fresh shower, this time with the both of them, they climb into the bed that’s been luring Suna in all day. As they’re settling in, Osamu says, “Today was nice. I haven’t had the chance to spend a whole day with you in a while.”</p><p>Suna snakes an arm around Osamu’s waist, and closes his eyes. “One day… we’ll quit hero society, and we can live like this everyday.”</p><p>“Oh? But the world needs us. And you know you’ll get restless if you just sat around all day. There’s only so much on that phone of yours, you know.”</p><p>Suna snorts, and Osamu continues. “Besides, didn’t we promise to reform hero society? We’ve made a lot of progress since Kita-san took over, but it’ll be a long while yet.”</p><p>Suna hums, silently acquiescing. “Yeah, but one day… not now, not for a while, but someday... we’ll retire and we can buy a nice, simple store, and you can sell your onigiri. Or whatever you want. And I’ll be your trophy husband.”</p><p>Osamu lifts himself up onto his elbow, his torso hovering above Suna’s. After Suna’s eyes have adjusted to the darkness, he sees Osamu glancing down at him in mirth.</p><p>His own mouth quirks up. “I’ll even let your brother come by once in a while. Just to see how his hair’s keeping up with all that bleaching.”</p><p>Osamu laughs then, and settles his weight onto Suna’s body. “Well, I’ll hold you to that then.”</p><p>As his lips wander to Suna’s face, then to the side of his neck, Suna closes his eyes again and breathes to himself: “Though I suppose this isn’t too bad.”</p><p>It’s a moment before Osamu pauses in his feather-light touches, forcibly dragging his gaze back to Suna. “Hmm?”</p><p>“This. Here. Right now.” Suna opens his eyes again at Osamu’s inquisitive gaze, and reaches up to push his bangs back from his forehead. The strands are familiar to his touch, soft and short between his fingers. Suna breathes out, a contented sigh, and in a rare moment of candidness — though perhaps made less rare in light of the day’s events — he admits: “I could stay like this forever.”</p><p>Osamu’s eyes grow ever fonder, and Suna watches the sliver of moonlight streaming through the blinds reflect in his eye as he leans closer. “Well, I may be able to do something about that,” he murmurs.</p><p>As Suna feels the telltale signs of Osamu’s quirk coming to life, and the familiar press of Osamu’s lips to his, he laughs into the kiss and revels in the feeling of the warmth in his chest growing ever, ever larger.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>おまけ<br/>Suna, after the moment of euphoria passes and realization hits him: The doctor said you’re not supposed to be using your quirk during your bedrest.<br/>Osamu: 😇<br/>Suna: Besides, I don’t need the effects of any quirk to spend the rest of my life with you.<br/>Osamu: 😳</p><p> <br/>Thank you so much for reading! I'm truly honored if you made it this far ♡</p><p>If you enjoyed the fic, I'd really appreciate it if you retweeted it <a href="https://twitter.com/sunaosaexchange/status/1359739995355947008?s=20">here</a>! Also feel free to share your thoughts about domestic superhero Sunaosa with me in the comments or on <a href="https://twitter.com/totorokis">Twitter</a>. I'm always happy to talk about them or HQ in general.</p><p> <br/>This exchange went by in a blur! I'm kind of feeling nostalgic... Thank you so much to the mods and everyone else who participated or engaged with the content in any way! It was truly such a great experience :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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